bumbling
adjective
bum·bling
ˈbəm-b(ə-)liŋ 
: awkwardly blundering or faltering
a bumbling speaker
: prone to or marked by foolish mistakes
a bumbling attempt to fix the problem
… many Americans see the F.D.A. as bumbling and inefficient …—
Herbert Burkholz
Herbert Burkholz
bumblingly
adverb
… none of them truly wants him in her home while he tries, bumblingly, to get his act together …
—Laura Collins-Hughes
Laura Collins-Hughes
Examples of bumbling in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Moore will star alongside him as Lt. Columbo, a disheveled and seemingly bumbling detective who’s investigating the crime.
—Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Charged with selling state secrets to the Soviets, a bumbling FBI agent had a novel defense.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2025
After four seasons as a bumbling apex predator, Joe faces a new challenge as the show ends: The women are fighting back harder than ever.
—Anika Reed, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
Seth Rogen, who is one of the show’s creators, plays a bumbling movie studio boss in way over his head, always making a mess of things but still endearing and likable despite his many flaws.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bumbling
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Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Charged with selling state secrets to the Soviets, a bumbling FBI agent had a novel defense.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2025
After four seasons as a bumbling apex predator, Joe faces a new challenge as the show ends: The women are fighting back harder than ever.
—Anika Reed, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
Seth Rogen, who is one of the show’s creators, plays a bumbling movie studio boss in way over his head, always making a mess of things but still endearing and likable despite his many flaws.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bumbling
Cite this Entry
“Bumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bumbling. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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